Consultant charged in N.J. scandal found dead

WASHINGTON (JTA) — A New Jersey political consultant charged with accepting a bribe in last week’s corruption arrests was found dead.

Jack Shaw, a longtime Democratic political operative, was found dead Tuesday at his home in Jersey City.

A Hudson County prosecutor told The New York Times that his death appeared to be "suspicious," while The Star-Ledger of Newark reported that multiple bottles of pills were found close to Shaw’s body.

Shaw was accused of accepting $10,000 from Solomon Dwek, the Jewish confidential informant who was posing as a real estate developer, according to media reports. Shaw also allegedly introduced Dwek to other officials charged in the case.

Shaw was one of 44 people — including rabbis, mayors and other top political figures — arrested last week in a massive corruption and money-laundering probe. He worked on Bob Torricelli’s and Jon Corzine’s U.S. Senate election victories in 1996 and 2000.